What does your workplace do when someone gets hurt?
It’s not uncommon for injuries to be perceived through a purely physical lens. In fact, it’s intuitive that this occurs. When someone hurts themselves, the first thing to concern ourselves with is how severe the injury is, and manage their physical symptoms. Whether in or out of the workplace, this is a common approach to injury.
There’s little time given, however, to the overarching psychosocial impact of a workplace injury. We’re often preoccupied with examining an injury from a physical lens so much so, that we neglect to give adequate weight and time to the mental lens.
It’s time to change that.
Health and safety expert Giselle Phillips considers analysis of psychosocial risk an inherent part of risk management.
“Organisations should look at psychosocial risk factors as aspects of work design and business, as well as the social and interpersonal contexts of work.” she explains. “This way, you can understand exactly where adverse effects lie, and how they might impact workers’ mental health and overall wellbeing.”
It’s key that organisations understand the common psychosocial risk factors that arise when a worker gets hurt, and how this focus translates into workplace design.